Former Indian cricketer Surinder Khanna has reacted to a recent statement by Yograj Singh, where the latter claimed to have once gone to Kapil Dev’s house with a pistol after being dropped from the Indian cricket team. Yograj, the father of cricket legend Yuvraj Singh, revealed that he had planned to kill Kapil but spared him because of his mother.
In response, Khanna said, "He says anything, he’s our friend. Even Kapil Dev knows he’s a bit of a crack and speaks without thinking," he said as quoted by IANS.
Yograj Singh recalled the intense confrontation during an interview on the "Unfiltered by Samdish" podcast. “When Kapil Dev became captain of India, North Zone, and Haryana, he dropped me for no reason. My wife (Yuvi's mother) wanted me to ask Kapil questions. I told her that I would teach this bloody man a lesson. I took my pistol out and went to Kapil's house in Sector 9. He came out with his mother," he said.
"I abused him a dozen times. I told him because of you I have lost a friend, and what you have done, you will pay for it. I told him, 'I want to put a bullet through your head, but I am not doing it because you have a very pious mother, who is standing here.' I told Shabnam, 'Let's go.' That was the moment I decided I would not play cricket; Yuvi will play,” he added.
He also claimed that Kapil was jealous of Yuvraj's success and was affected by his son's achievement during the 2011 ODI World Cup. "In 2011, when India won the World Cup, Kapil was the only one crying. I sent him a newspaper clipping, saying my son did better than you in the World Cup," he added.
Yograj also accused Kapil Dev and other cricketers, including the late Bishan Singh Bedi, of conspiring against him during his career. He claimed that the politics within the cricketing community led to his early exit from the team.
